Due diligence before an apartment booking is not optional for a purchase in the ₹1.5–3 Cr range. It is the difference between a confident decision and an anxious one.
Most buyers do informal due diligence — asking friends, reading Google reviews, looking at the developer's website. This is useful as a first step. What follows is a more systematic approach, organised by the category of risk being verified.
Step 1: Legal Title Verification
Before anything else, verify that the developer has clear, unencumbered title to the land on which the project is being built.
What to check:
- Encumbrance certificate for the property: Available from the sub-registrar office or online through the Telangana registration portal. This document shows whether any mortgage, charge, or legal claim exists on the land. A clear encumbrance certificate means the land is unencumbered.
- Sale deed or lease deed: Confirms the developer actually owns or has a valid development right over the land.
- HMDA or GHMC approval: Verify that the building plan has been sanctioned by the relevant municipal authority. Unsanctioned construction cannot be RERA registered.
You can engage an independent lawyer to do title verification for a fee of ₹5,000–₹15,000. For a ₹2 Cr purchase, this is a proportional expense.
Step 2: RERA Verification
If the project is RERA registered:
- Visit tsrera.telangana.gov.in
- Search by project name or developer name
- Note the registration number, project specifications as registered, and committed possession date
- Check the developer's compliance history — have they filed required progress reports?
- Verify that the specifications on the website match what you were shown in the brochure
If the project is not yet RERA registered, ask:
- When is registration expected?
- What land documents have been submitted or are prepared for submission?
- Can you see the sanctioned building plan?
A developer who cannot answer these questions clearly about an upcoming RERA registration has not advanced the project sufficiently for you to commit.
Step 3: Developer Track Record
Completed project visit: Identify a project completed by the same developer 3–5 years ago. Visit it. Walk the lobby. Talk to residents independently — find them through the building's WhatsApp group (ask any resident to add you) or by knocking on doors.
Questions to ask residents:
- Was possession delivered on the committed date?
- Do the specifications match what was promised at the time of booking?
- How is the maintenance quality?
- Would you buy from this developer again?
RERA compliance history: On the TSRERA portal, check whether the developer's previous projects were delivered on time as registered, and whether there are any registered complaints against them.
Google searches: Search "[developer name] reviews", "[developer name] possession delay", "[developer name] complaints". These searches surface issues that polished marketing materials do not.
Step 4: Construction Progress Verification
If the project is under construction, assess whether current progress is consistent with the developer's claimed timeline.
- Visit the site and observe what you can from public access points
- Ask the developer for construction photographs with dates
- Compare claimed milestone completion against visual evidence
A project claiming 30% construction completion in month 18 that visibly has foundation work partially done has a timeline inconsistency worth investigating.
Bank technical evaluation: When you apply for a home loan, the lending bank will send their own technical evaluation officer to assess construction progress against the disbursement milestone. This is an independent verification mechanism you get automatically through the home loan process.
Step 5: Financial Structure Verification
Bank approvals: As noted elsewhere, bank approvals for home loans require the bank to conduct their own due diligence. Multiple bank approvals are a positive signal.
Payment escrow: Under RERA, at least 70% of project funds must be maintained in a dedicated escrow account and used only for that project. Ask the developer which bank holds the escrow account.
Developer financial health: A large developer with multiple active projects is not necessarily safer than a smaller developer with a clean track record. What matters is the financial structure of this specific project — is it funded adequately for completion? Bank-financed construction with a credible lending institution is generally safer than developer-funded construction with unclear financing.
Step 6: Independent Legal Review of Sale Agreement
Before signing any sale agreement, have an independent lawyer review the document. Key things to verify:
- Does the sale agreement match the RERA-registered specifications?
- Is the possession date explicitly stated?
- What is the delay compensation clause?
- Are there any hidden charges or conditions?
- Are there buyer protection clauses for specification changes?
This review typically costs ₹10,000–₹25,000 and takes 2–3 working days. It is the most valuable ₹25,000 you will spend in the entire transaction.
The Bottom Line
Thorough due diligence takes 2–3 days of focused effort. For a purchase of ₹1.5–3 Cr, that time investment is clearly justified. A purchase made without this process is a purchase made on trust rather than verification.
The market has enough credible developers and sound projects that there is no reason to bypass due diligence. If a developer responds to due diligence requests with urgency pressure — "the price is increasing next week," "other buyers are waiting" — treat that as a signal rather than a deadline.
Our team welcomes due diligence questions. Get in touch.. We'll provide documentation, developer background, and honest answers to every item on this list.